Packaging the Travel Choices: COMMUNITIES
IndiMark®
IndiMark® is a method for conducting direct marketing of travel behaviour change. It involves targeted personal approaches to people identified as potential mode switchers with personalised information, advice and incentives provided to encourage change (DTLR, 2002).
The developers, Brög and Schadler (1998), emphasise that IndiMark® is built upon the belief that there is a gap between public perception of public transport and the reality, with a large proportion of the population believing it to be worse than it really is.
IndiMark® is generally used for direct marketing of public transport but has also been applied to encourage use of walking and cycling. It is also described as ‘Dialogue Marketing’ because it aims to establish a dialogue with the participants.
IndiMark® involves four main stages, includes rewards or incentives for participants and has seen successful implementation in Europe and Perth.
The Four Main Stages of IndiMark®
Summary of the IndiMark® Method
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All households are contacted by mail and phone and a short survey is used to determine if they are Regular/Extensive users of Environmentally Friendly Modes (R), are Not at all interested in changing (N), or are Interested (I). |
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Problems and requests from the R and I groups are responded to. |
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The R and I participants select the information they want which can include maps, timetables and further information on particular modes. Individuals in the R group may also receive rewards (LINK 6 REWARDS AND INCENTIVE SECTION) for their use of environmentally friendly modes. |
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Consultation phone calls and home visits on request are made, with selected households in group I receiving tickets to use on public transport for a limited period. |
Contact
All households are sent a letter introducing the initiative and indicating that they will be contacted by phone. The phone contact aims to open the ‘dialogue’ with the household. A short series of questions is used understand more about the household and classify it into one of three groups, N, R and I as follows:
- Not at all interested in changing (N) – that is they are likely to continue to rely heavily on the private car for their transport needs,
- Regular/Extensive users of Environmentally Friendly Modes (R), or
- Interested (I) in using environmentally friendly modes more.
Households which are initially assessed as not interested in changing (the ‘N’ group) are not pursued further. The focus shifts to those who are regular/extensive users of public transport, bike or walk modes (the ‘R’ group) and those assessed as being interested in using those modes more (the ‘I’ group). The ‘R’ and ‘I’ are either rewarded for current behaviour or provided with information to assist them to change their travel behaviour.
Motivation
The second step involves responding to any problems or requests from the R and I groups. Some of the R group may be interested in receiving further information (for example, about other public transport services that they are not presently using).
Information
The R and I participants select the information they want from a list which is sent to them. In the current application in Western Australia, that information is hand delivered to the household. The range of information includes guides to walking and cycling in the area, as well as detailed maps showing local bike and public transport routes, shopping centres, etc. Timetables for public transport services may also be included and these are tailored to show times at a specific bus stop.
Convincing
Depending on the nature of their requests for information, some households in the I group will be followed up with consultation phone calls and home visits. The home visits include a simple bike check or a visit from a local bus driver who explains relevant features of public transport services. Selected households in the I group receive tickets to use on public transport for a limited period.
Rewards and Incentives for Participants.
While the processes of targeting and approaching people are generally carried out in a similar way in IndiMark® applications, the information, encouragement and incentives can vary quite widely, and include:
- maps and timetables for public transport routes that are of direct relevance to individual's needs (e.g. Timetables which provide service times at individual public transport stops),
- general maps and timetables, with guidance as to the routes that are of relevance to the individual,
- free travel tickets (usually for up to one month) to encourage people to try out the system,
- voucher cards for discounts at local bike shops,
- rewards for current use such as bike water bottles, key rings with a TravelSmart message, bags or backpacks for use when riding or walking, and
- information on other environmentally friendly modes (walking and cycling) usually in the form of general walk and cycle route maps for the area.
It is important to appreciate that these are not provided as a bribe up front to assist motivation but rather as a reward for those individuals who are already using environmentally friendly modes.
Successful Applications of IndiMark®
IndiMark® has been applied in 12 European countries and in Australia with these projects ranging in size from tens to thousands of people. Its highest profile current application is in Perth where it is the household travel behaviour change tool employed in TravelSmart WA.
The first application of IndiMark® in Australia was in the South Perth region where it was run for the whole community. The results (LINK TO IMPACTS OF Travel Behaviour Change PROGAMS on main menu) of the program were very positive with the distance travelled by car reduced by 14 % and strong increases in use of public transport (+21 %) as well as in walking and cycling.